Electromagnetic relay utilizing the coil bobbin to facilitate assembly thereof



- Aug. 9, 1966 Filed Jan. 28, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 & WW

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Aug. 9, 1966 P. R. CORN ELECTROMAGNETI BOBBIN TO FA C RELAY UTILIZING THE COIL CILITATE ASSEMBLY THEREOF Filed Jan. 28, 1965 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR PRENTICE R. comm United States Patent 3,265,828 ELECTROMAGNETIC RELAY UTILIZING THE COIL BOBBIN Ti) FACILITATE ASSEMBLY THEREOF Prentice R. Corn, Logansport, Ind., assignor to Essex Wire Corporation, Fort Wayne, 1nd, a corporation of Michigan Filed Jan. 28, 1965, Ser. No. 428,677

6 Claims. (Cl. 200-104) This invention relates to relays and, more particularly, to improved electromagnetic relays of the type having a spring member for actuating the armature toward and holding it in its normal position when the relay is deenergized.

An object of the present invention is to provide an improved electromagnetic relay assembly comprising a magnetic frame member, a coil-supporting bobbin, a core, and a terminal board, said assembly being constructed and arranged to be permanently secured together upon afiixation of the core to the bobbin and to the frame member.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved electromagnetic relay comprising a magnetic frame member, a ooil-supporting bobbin, a core joining said bobbin and said frame member to form a subassembly, a movable contactor assembly including an armature, and a restoring spring for biasing the armature away from the coil toward its normal position and for retaining the contactor assembly in operative association with the subassembly. Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent hereinafter.

The specific structural details and their mode of functioning will be made most manifest and particularly pointed out in clear, concise and exact terms in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of a relay embodying the principles of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is an end elevational view of the relay of FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a bottom view of the relay, with the armature and contact assembly removed for clarity;

FIGURE 4 is a top plan view of the relay of FIG- URE 1;

FIGURE 5 is a bottom view 1; and

FIGURE 6 is an exploded perspective view better illustrating the cooperative relationship of the main components of the relay.

Referring now to FIGURES 15, there is illustrated a relay 10 comprising an L-shaped field member or frame 12 of a magnetizable material. The frame 12 has a pair of mutually perpendicular legs 13 and 14. The leg 13 functions as a support or base upon which an electromagnet 15 is mounted.

The electromagnet 15 includes a bobbin 16 having a pair of spaced planar portions 17 and 18 joined by a central generally tubular portion 19 upon which the coil 20 of the electromagnet is wound. An opening 21 extends through the tubular portion 19 for receiving a magnetizable metallic core 22. The member 18 of the bobbin includes a terminal-receiving portion 24 formed at one end thereof and extending at right angles to the member 13.

A plurality of terminals 26a, 26b, 27a, 27b, 28a, and 28b are atfixed to and extend from opposite sides of the depending portion 24 of the bobbin. Each terminal has a contact 29 afiixed on one end of the terminal thereof as best seen in FIGURE 1. The contacts 29 on the terminals 26a and 26b are opposed to one another, as are the .contacts on terminals 27a and 27b, and on terminals 28a and 28b, respectively.

Operatively retained on the electromagnetic relay assembly between terminal-receiving portion 24 of bobbin of the relay of FIGURE ice 16 and the leg 13 is a terminal board 30. The terminal board 30, which is made from a suitable electrical insulating material, extends in the plane of the terminal-receiving portion 24 so that the terminals 32a, 32b, 32c, 32d and 322, which extend from the terminal board 30, will generally extend in the same direction and substantially parallel to the terminals 26a, 26b, 27a, 27b, 28a and 28b.

Preferably, terminals 32a, b, c, d and e extend outwardly from the terminal board 30 the same extent as the terminals 26a, 26b, 27a, 27b, 28a and 28!) extend outwardly from the terminal-receiving portion 24 of the bobbin so as to facilitate connection of the relay in a circuit.

A feature of the present invention is the manner of aflixing the terminal board 30 between the bobbin 16 and the frame member 12. Basically, first means are provided for cooperatively interlocking the top of the terminal board 30 with the bottom of the frame member base 13 and second means are provided for cooperatively interlocking the lower portion of the terminal board 30 with the top of the depending terminal-receiving portion 24 of the bobbin.

The first interlocking means comprise, in the illustrated form of the invention, a pair of upstanding extensions or lugs 40 and 41 formed on the top of the terminal board 30, which lugs cooperate with and are retained within an opening 42 formed in the reduced end portion 43 of the leg 13.

The second interlocking means for joining the terminal board 30 to the terminal-receiving portion 24 of the bobbin includes a recess 46 formed in the top of the terminalreceiving portion 24 which cooperates with a depending lug 47 formed on the terminal board 30. The depending extension or lug 47 is substantially coextensive with the recess in both length and width so as to properly position the terminal board 30 in substantially the plane of the portion 24 of the bobbin 16. Precise positioning of the terminal board 30 on the bobbin is further enhanced by providing a stepped recess 24a on the bobbin against which the terminal board 30 bears.

Thus, it will be apparent that a permanently secured electromagnetic relay subassembly may be provided by positioning core 22 within the opening 21 and afiixing it at its lower end to the shading ring 48 (as by staking as indicated at 49 in FIGURE 3) and at its upper end to the base 13 of the frame 12 (as by turning the top portion 22b of the core 22 as shown in FIGURE 4). The cooperating interlocking members of the terminal board 30 are engaged with the leg 13 of the frame member and with the recess 46 in the terminal-receiving portion 24 for properly locating and positioning the terminal board 30 on the bobbin.

Terminals 32a and 32b are adapted to be connected to the leads from the coil 20 of the electromagnet, as for example, by welding.

The lines or wires 50, 52 and 54 are conveniently adapted to be afiixed at one end to the terminals 32c, 32d and 32a prior to joining the terminal board 30 to the bobbin 16 and the frame 12. Preferably, the ends of the wires are welded to the terminals.

Another feature of the present invention is the manner of operatively and detachably connecting the contactor assembly 60 to the remainder of the electromagnetic relay. The contactor assembly 60 comprises an armature 62 to one side of which is afiixed a retaining spring 63 and to the other side of which is afiixed an insulator 64 and a contact retainer 65 for supporting a plurality of contact members 66a, 66b and 660. Suitable fastening means, for example rivets 82, are provided for joining the retaining spring 63, armature 62, insulator 64, and contact support or retainer 65.

The armature 62 is made from a magnetizable material and is adapted to be selectively magnetized by the coil 20 of the electromagnet and drawn toward the core 22.

The retaining spring 63, as best seen in FIGURE 6, includes a base portion 68 connected to the contactor assembly and a pair of spring fingers 69 which are adapted to engage within recesses or notches 70 in the lower portion of the leg 14 of the frame member 12.

The wires 50, 52 and 54 are adapted to be suitably affixed to an end of the contact members 66a, 66b and 660, as for example, by welding.

The lower end portions 71 and 73 of the leg 14 of frame member 12 are adapted to engage within openings 72 and 74 in the armature 62. It will be understood that hinge or pivot means is defined between the lower'portions 71 and 73 of leg 14 and the contactor assembly at the point of intersection of the leg 14 with the contactor assembly.

Connected between a lug 76 struck out from the leg 14 and a projection 78 extending from the armature 62 is a restoring spring 80' which functions, not only to retain the contactor assembly in operative relationship with the electromagnetic relay subassembly, but which also functions to bias the contactor assembly to a normal position wherein the armature is away from the core 22. The restoring spring 80 is a tension spring having end hooks or loops at each end which are attached to the lugs or projections 76 and 78, respectively. When the coil 20 is deenergized, the armature 62 is biased away from the end of the core 22 and the contacts 66a, 66b and 660 on the contactor assembly are in engagement with the contacts 26b, 27b and 28b on the terminal board portion 24. When coil 20 is energized, contacts 66a, 66b, and 66c are in engagement with the ends of terminals 26a, 27a and 28a, respectively.

Referring now to FIGURE 6, there is illustrated more clearly the manner of assembling the electromagnetic assembly. The bobbin 16, which is preferably molded from an electrical insulating material, such as plastic, supports the coil thereon about the central portion 19 thereof. The terminal board 30, which may also be molded from a suitable electrical insulating material, is cooperatively engaged With the terminal-receiving portion 24 of the bobbin by engaging the lug 47 depending from the terminal block 30 within the recess 46 in the top of the terminal-receiving portion 24. It Will be noted that the top of-the terminal-receiving portion 24 is stepped and that the rear of the terminal board 30 will abut the upstanding shoulder of the stepped surface 24a on the bobbin 16. By virtue of this construction, the terminal board 30 will be properly aligned with the terminal-receiving portion 24 The magnetizable metallic frame member 12 is then positioned over the bobbin 16 with the planar leg 14 positioned in the opening 18a defined at one end of the planar member 18 of the bobbin and with the opening 13a in the base 13 being aligned with the opening 21 passing through the bobbin. The flat base 13 is positioned in the recessed top of the planar member 17, with the tab 43 of the flat leg or base 13 extending through an opening 17a in the ridge defining the periphery of the member 17. The opening 42 will receive the projections 40 and 41 extending from the top of the terminal board 30.

The core 22 is disposed Within the opening 21 in the bobbin such that the ends thereof extend beyond the top of the flat base 13 and the bottom of the member 18. The transverse bar portion 48a of the shading ring 48 is adapted to be engaged within a diametrically disposed recess 22a in the core and the core is staked to the shading ring or similar washer-like member 48 as indicated at 49. The upper end 22b of the core 22 is then machined or spread so as to operatively connect the top of the core to the frame 13 and thereby :permanently connect the bobbin 16, the terminal board 30, and the frame member 12.

The contactor assembly 60 is then affixed to the subassembly by positioning the ends of the retainer spring 63 in the notches 70 within the flat leg 14 of the frame member 12, with the end portions 71 and 73 of the leg engaging within the recesses or openings 72 and 74 in the armature and with the contacts 66a, 66b and 660 being disposed between the associated pairs of contacts 26a and 26b, 27a and 27b, and 28a and 28b, respectively.

Upon afiixation of the'ends of the restoring spring 66a, 66b and 660 into engagement with terminals 26a,

26b and 26c.

It will be understood that the terminals 32a, 32b, 32c, 32d and 32e are afiixed within the openings in the terminal board 30 in the terminal board portion 24 prior to fabrication of the subassembly. Similarly, one end of wires 50, 52 and 54 may be conveniently connected to the terminals 32c, 32d and 32s on the terminal board 30 prior to assembly of the subassembly. The ends of the coil leads are aflixed to the terminals 32a and 32b prior to or after the subassembly has been fabricated. The afiixation of the ends of the leads 5t), 52 and 54 to the contacts 66a, 66b and 66c, respectively, may be effected just prior to the assembly of the contactor assembly 60 to the subassembly.

The positioning lug 13a, which is struck from the flat leg 13 is utilized to position the relay 10 on a support. It will be understood that the relay 10 may be used in the position illustrated or in any position, dependent uponthe application.

While there has been shown and described a particular embodiment of this invention, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made therein without departing from the invention and, therefore, it is intended in the appended claims to cover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spirit and scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. In an electromagnetic relay, the combination of a magnetic frame member comprising a flat base and a flat leg extending at right angles from said base; a bobbin including a central coil-supporting portion having an opening therethrough and first and second spaced, planar members one of said members having a terminal-receiving portion extending at right angles thereto; there being a coil supported on said coil-supporting portion between said planar members; a terminal board supported in the plane of said terminal-receiving portion; said terminal board and said terminal-receiving portion having first cooperating interlocking means engaging said terminal board with said terminal-receiving portion; said flat base and said terminal board having second cooperating interlocking means engaging said flat base with said terminalreceiving portion; a core carried in said opening in said coil-supporting portion of said bobbin, said core extending beyond said planar members of said bobbin and said 9 fiat base and being afiixed to said bobbin and said fiat base to maintain said frame member, said bobbin, and said terminal board in assembled relationship.

2. An electromagnetic relay as in claim 1 wherein said second cooperating interlocking means comprise projections on said terminal board extending into and engaging with the walls of an opening in said fiat base.

3. An electromagnetic relay as in claim 1 wherein a washer-like member is disposed adjacent the planar member of said bobbin remote from said frame member, said core being affixed to said washer-like member, and the 5 other end of said core being connected to said flat base.

' 4. An electromagnetic relay comprising a magnetic frame member having a flat base and a flat leg extending at right angles from said flat base, said flat leg having a pair of spaced notches in the end thereof remote from said fiat base; an electromagnet mounted on said base comprising a bobbin-supported coil extending beside said fiat leg and a core, one wall of said bobbin defining a terminal board extending generally parallel to said flat leg, a portion of said terminal board being of greater extent than said flat leg, a plurality of terminals mounted on said portion of said terminal board and disposed generally at right angles to said terminal board, contacts mounted on said terminals; a movable contactor assembly comprising an armature of magnetic material, contacts mounted on said armature and adapted to cooperate with said contacts on said terminals, means for insulating said armature from said contacts on said contactor assembly, and a retaining spring on said armature engaging with said notches in said flat leg, said contactor assembly including means projecting beyond said flat leg whereby the end of said flat leg functions as a pivot for said contactor assembly; and spring means for operatively connecting said contactor assembly and said frame member.

5. An electromagnetic relay as in claim 4 wherein a first lug is struck from said flat leg in a direction away from said'coil, and said armature includes a projection extending in the same direction as said first lug, and said spring means comprises a coil spring affixed at one end to said first lug and at the other end to said projection.

6. An electromagnetic relay comprising a magnetic frame member having a flat base and a flat leg extending at right angles from said flat base, said fiat leg having a pair of spaced recesses formed in the end thereof remote from said fiat base; a bobbin having a pair of spaced planar members connected by a central tubular portion and a terminal-receiving portion extending at right angles from one of said planar members and disposed generally parallel to said flat leg, said terminal-receiving portion extending beyond said flat leg; a coil wound on said central tubular portion and extending beside said flat leg and between said spaced planar members; a terminal board having means thereon cooperating with said frame member and said bobbin for facilitating positioning and connection of said terminal board to said bobbin and said frame member; a core disposed in said central tubular portion for joining the bobbin, the frame member, and the terminal board to form a subassembly; a plurality of terminals mounted on said terminal-receiving portion and disposed generally at right angles to the plane of said terminalreceiving portion; a plurality of terminals mounted on said terminal board and extending generally at right angles thereto; a movable contactor assembly comprising an armature of magnetic material, contacts mounted on said assembly for movement with said armature between adjacent pairs of terminals on said terminal-receiving portion, means for insulating said armature from said contacts on said contactor assembly, a retaining spring on said armature for engaging with said recesses in said flat leg, and pivot means defined between said contactor assembly and said flat leg for pivoting said contactor assembly on the end of said flat leg remote from said flat base; and spring means for operatively and detachably connecting said contactor assembly and said frame member.

No references cited.

BERNARD A. GILHEANY, Primary Examiner. 

1. IN AN ELECTROMAGNETIC RELAY, THE COMBINATION OF A MAGNETIC FRAME MEMBER COMPRISING A FLAT BASE AND A FLAT LEG EXTENDING AT RIGHT ANGLES FROM SAID BASE; A BOBBIN INCLUDING A CENTRAL COIL-SUPPORTING PORTION HAVING AN OPENING THERETHROUGH AND FIRST AND SECOND SPACED, PLANAR MEMBERS, ONE OF SAID MEMBERS HAVING A TERMINAL-RECEIVING PORTION EXTENDING AT RIGHT ANGLES THERETO; THERE BEING A COIL SUPPORTED ON SAID COIL-SUPPORTING PORTION BETWEEN SAID PLANAR MEMBERS; A TERMINAL BOARD SUPPORTED IN THE PLANE OF SAID TERMINAL-RECEIVING PORTION; SAID TERMINAL BOARD AND SAID TERMINAL-RECEIVING PORTION HAVING FRIST COOPERATING INTERLOCKING MEANS ENGAGING SAID TERMINAL BOARD WITH SAID TERMINAL-RECEIVING PORTION; SAID FLAT BASE AND SAID TERMINAL BOARD HAVING SECOND COOPERATING INTERLOCKING MEANS ENGAGING SAID FLAT BASE WITH SAID TERMINALRECEIVING PORTION; A CORE CARRIED IN SAID OPENING IN SAID COIL-SUPPORTING PORTION OF SAID BOBBIN, SAID CORE EXTENDING BEYOND SAID PLANAR MEMBERS OF SAID BOBBIN AND SAID FLAT BASE AND BEING AFFIXED TO SAID BOBBIN AND SAID FLAT BASE TO MAINTAIN SAID FRAME MEMBER, SAID BOBBIN, AND SAID TERMINAL BOARD IN ASSEMBLED RELATIONSHIP. 